It is with heavy hearts that we share that Dr. Mark Bernhardt passed away on Friday, May 1. He was 62 years old.
Dr. Bernhardt was a member of our practice family for over 30 years. A 1983 graduate of the University of Kansas – School of Medicine, he completed his orthopaedic surgery training at the University of Kansas–Wichita in 1988 followed by training in St. Louis at the Shriners Hospital/Washington University program. Thereafter, he trained at the Accident Hospital of Lorenz Bohler in Vienna, Austria, and completed a spine fellowship at Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Hospital in 1989. Following many years in active practice with Dickson-Diveley, Dr. Bernhardt became the Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UMKC School of Medicine.
He was board certified in Orthopaedic Surgery and was a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Bernhardt also was a member of the Scoliosis Research Society and the Cervical Spine Research Society.
Dr. Bernhardt was a servant at heart. Beyond his role at Dickson-Diveley, he served as president of the medical staff of Saint Luke’s, president of the Kansas City Orthopaedic Society, and most recently as chair of the Truman Medical Center Executive Board.
Dr. Bernhardt presented at professional conferences regularly, authored numerous articles and trained hundreds of residents in his roles as a physician and educator. He bestowed his knowledge gracefully to future physicians that now serve thousands of patients all across the United States. His legacy will live on in this immeasurable contribution to advancing the field of orthopaedic medicine through his teaching and mentorship.
Dr. Bernhardt was a skilled surgeon, fantastic teacher, loving husband and father. His presence, his caring and his passion for medicine will be missed, but his legacy will live on in all of us and all of the patients, students and physicians that he’s touched. We send our sympathy, love and support to his wife Renee, his daughters Hillary and Grace and the rest of his family.
